


A Moment In Time

by Kathryn_Montague



Category: Howl's Moving Castle - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-16
Updated: 2017-12-16
Packaged: 2019-02-15 13:53:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 591
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13032543
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kathryn_Montague/pseuds/Kathryn_Montague
Summary: If asked to pinpoint the exact moment that he first felt love for another person, Howl Jenkins-Pendragon would have a hard time.





	A Moment In Time

If asked to pinpoint the exact moment that he first felt love for another person, Howl Jenkins-Pendragon would have a hard time. 

In his youth, he hadn't been close with his family. Perhaps he might have loved his uncle, but truthfully he never saw him enough to feel anything for his fellow wizard outside of polite affection. 

There had been women, of course-- lots of women. But they were just means to an end, ways to fill a void he'd had since... well, forever. 

Calcifer was much too difficult to love. There was no question of his loyalty, but 'love' was too strong a word to describe what he felt for the little ball of flame who had so carefully guarded his heart all these years. 

Markl-- that sweet, funny little boy (albeit the worst apprentice anyone could have) was the glue that held the castle together. He was far too young to be so responsible, but he kept everything ticking over to the best of his ability, and rarely thought of anything else. And, yes, he created so much mess doing it that the castle had begun to resemble a cess pit, but what can one expect of a boy who's only ever lived with a twenty-seven year-old man? 

Perhaps Markl was the first person he ever loved, but he doubted it, somehow. 

If asked to pinpoint the exact moment that he first felt love for another person, Howl Jenkins-Pendragon would have to think for a while, but his mind would undoubtedly turn towards her. 

The day he saved her from those soldiers he'd felt a growing sense of discomfort that only became worse as the hours went on. So, when he returned to visit her the following day, only to learn that one of his former conquests had ceased the poor hat-maker's actions forever, he was forced to admit that he was disappointed. 

He shook it off (though not completely) and returned to the castle-- and lo and behold, there she was, cooking bacon on his fire demon like it was the most natural thing in the world. 

And good God, how she infuriated him.

The murder of his poor spiders, the hair crisis and her constant and/or compulsive need to control-- all these things had made him consider turning her out on her ear. But then all it took was one glance at her as she slept, one brush of his hand against her smooth cheek as she lay slpeping, and there he went, buying her dresses, making her a garden and moving the castle to make her feel more at home like some love-sick fool. 

And oh-- oh! to have told her! To have confessed aloud how beautiful he thought she was! Never had he been so honest! 

Never had he betrayed his own cowardice-- and with violence, no less-- just to keep someone safe. 

To keep her safe. 

If asked to pinpoint the exact moment that he first felt love for another person, Howl Jenkins-Pendragon would have a hard time. 

And perhaps he would choose the moment that he told her how her hair reminded him of the stars he so loved, or the first instant he felt his heart skip a beat as he watched her. 

But as he knows-- as he feels each time he kisses her, as their castle flies through the sky-- whatever moment he would choose would be centred around the girl from the hat shop. 

The girl who had (ironically) both gifted him his heart and stolen it completely.

**Author's Note:**

> Pure fluffiness.


End file.
